Electric tram-car.



No. 827,710. PATENTED AUG. 7, 1906. G. J. OONATY'.

ELECTRIC TRAM CAR.

APPLICATION FILED OGT-17, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTBD AUG. '7, 1906.

G. J. GONATY.

ELECTRIC TRAM GAR.

APPLIUATION FILED OCT. 17, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

loo

I J l PATEN'TED AUG. 7, 1906.

G. J GONATY.

ELECTRIC TEAM GAR.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 17, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

v axles may be.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent:

Patented Aug. '7, 1906.

Application filed October 17,1904. Serial No. 228.820-

Zo all whom it may concern:

1 Be it known that I, GEORGE JOHN CoNA'rY, tramway companys manager, asubject of His Majesty the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and aresident of 33 Bearwood road, Smethwick, in the county of Stafford,England, have invented new and useful Improve- 'ments in and ConnectedwithElectric Tram- Cars, of which the following is a specification. aThis invention has reference to electric tram-cars which run on fourwheels and of which the two axles of the car each have a .movementradial to the track or curve, the .--electr1c motors which drive theaxleshaving the same radial" movement as the axles, so as to driveequally well in Whatever position the This invehtion consists ofthe'herein-described improvements whereby the axles after having inovedradially in passing round the track or curve are quickly brought backtoiltheir normal positions relatively to the car; and my inventionfurther consists of improvements in the brake mechanism whereby theconstruction is sim lified and equal pressures are exerted on al theeight brakelocks of the four wheels at the sametime no matter in whatpositions the wheel-axles may be, the brake mechanism being unaffectedby the turning of the car or axles.

IWill describe my invention by referring to the" accompanying drawings,on Which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the fourwheel truck of anelectric tram-car with my invention applied. Fig. 2 is a plan of thesame, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the brakemechanism of the same,

partly in section, on line X X of Fig. 4. Fig

4 is a plan of the said brake mechanism. Fig. 5 is an end elevation ofthe brake mechanism looking toward the left-hand side of Fi s. 1, 2, 3,and 4. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional e evation of the said brake mechanismon line Y Y of Fi s. 3 and 4. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectionaelevation of one of the axle boxes of the said t'ruck. Fig. 8 is asectional plan of the same, and Fig. 9,is a cross-sectional elevation ofthe same on line Z Z of Fig. 8.

The same reference-numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts inall the figures. One of the axles, which has the two wheels 1 2, ismarked 3, and the other axle, which has the two wheels 4 5, is marked 6.It is old to give the axles radial movement in relati'on to the track orcurve; but. according to bringing tr axles hack 'to their normal pos1-tions relatively to .the car after they have moved radially inpassing'round a curved track. For simpliclty I will describe one of theaxle-boxes of the axle 3.; but it is to be understood that all fouraxle-boxes are of the same construction. It will be seen that theaxle-box consists of an outer box 7 and an inner box 8 and that theouter box 7 is guided for vertical movement in the usual way in theguides in the side frame 9 of the truck and forms a support for theinner box 8, in which the axle 3 revolves, and thisinner this presentinvention the axle-boxes have special means. as herein described, forquickly box 8 has a vertical movement with the outer box 7 but is alsoso arranged as to .ilide along curved guides 10 11 in the top and bottomof the outer box 7, and these guides 10 11 form arcs'of a circle ofwhich the center 12 is the center-of the radial area of the axle 3. Thecenter of the radial area of the other axle 6 is marked 13. These guides10 11, together with the corresponding guides in'the axlebox of theother end of theaxle 3, thus allow the axle having the said radialmovement relatively to the track or curve. The outer box 7 is madeconsiderably. wider than the inner box 8 so as to permit of theaforesaid radial movement, and the curved guides 10 11 are made of ribsengaging with correspondinggrooves 14 15 in the top and bottom of theinner box8. These guides 10 11 are, by preference, not rigidly formedwith the outer axle-box 7, but each guide has a pivot 16, which takesinto a correspondin vertical hole in the outer box 7, so that t e guidescan swivel slightly, if necessary.

In order to quickly bring the axles 3 6 back to their normal positionafter they have passed round a curve, the top guide 10 in each of thefour axle-boxes is made with its under surface to; incline upwardlyat 1718 toward the-center 19, and the top of the inner box 8 is shaped tosuit, (see Fig. 9,) so that after the axles 3 6 and their inner axle--boxes 8 have been turned about the centers 12 13 of the radial areasfrom their normal positions, as when passin round a curve, theswiveling-blocks 10,- working alon the i clines'17 or 18, have raisedthe b0 y of the car slightly, so that directly-the car runs onto 'thestraight track again the weight of the car acting on the inclines causesthe inner axlebox 8 to ride alon the inclines 17 01118 to the centralposition, shown in 9 thus preventing the body of the car remaining askewwith the axles or returning to its proper central position very slowly,as is the case when the under side of the sw1vel-blocks10-and thecorresponding upper surfaces of the axle-box 8 are made flat or when noother special means are provided for bringing the axles back to theirnormal positions square with the body of the can, i v

My improved arrangement of brake mechanism is as follows: For simplicityI will describe one set of the brake mechanism-that is, for the twowheels 1 2 on the axle 3; but it is to be understood that the other setof brake mechanism, which is applied to the other two Wheels 4 5 on theother axle 6, is similar, and the two sets of brake mechanism are soconnected together that the eight" neously. The four brake-blocks 21 2223 are carried by two cross-beams 28 29,. which beam 29 nearer to thecenter of the car carrie's two levers, (marked, respectively, 3435,)

the outer ends of which turn on fulcrumpins 36 37, fixed to the crankedend parts 38 39 of the cross-beam 29, the power ends 40 41 of the levers34 35 pointing in-o posite directions toward the center line of t e car.J ointed to these levers 34 35 at a short distance from their fulcra 3637 are two links, (marked, respectively, 42 43,) which are connected tothe beam 44 at the other side of the wheels 1 2. The power ends 40 41 ofthe two levers 34 35 are connected nearthe center line of the car by twopairs of links 45 46 to the ends of a balancing-beam 47, the center 12of which is the center of the radial area in which the two wheels 1 2and their axle 3 and the brakegear and the electric motor turn. Thebalancing-beam of the other said brakeear for the two wheels 4 5 ismarked 48, and t e cenof the radial area of the axle 6; The centers12.13 of the balancing-beams 46 48, are by the chain 49 connected-together This chain 49 passes round rollers 50 51, fixed on the sta-"-24, 25 26 27 to t 'itaneously; It will be understood that thebrake-gear for the two wheels 4 5 is Cohstructed similarly to that abovedescribed for the wheels 1 2 and that these two sets of brake? ter 13 ofthis'balancing-beam 48 is the center like, by which the brakes areapplied, so that when the cross-lever is turned in the direction of thearrows in Fig. 4 the chain 49.-will be pulled in opposite directions toward the center of the car andwill thus ply the two sets of brakes withthe eight bra e -blocks 20 as aforesaid, the chain 49, connectingtogether the two balanoing-beams 47 48, bringing them nearer together,as aforesaid, and the links 45 46, connecting the ends of thebalancing-beams 47 48 to the power ends 40 41 of the power-levers 34 35,and thus bringing the two beams 28 29, with their blocks 20 21 22 23 2425 26 27, nearer together, so as to'grip the two wheels 1 2 betweenthem, and thus apply all the'eiglht brake-blocks 20,21 22 23 eirrespective wheels-simulgear act simultaneously.

-What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure-by Letters Patent,is

A'fourwheel tram car or truck having two axles, bearings for said axles,said bearings permitting movement of each axle radial to the track orcurve, two inner bearing-boxes for each axle and in which the ends ofthe axle revolve, outer boxes having vertical moveendwise with theaxles, said uides having inclined bearlng-faces above t e innerbearingboxes so. that when'the axles are moved out GEORGE JOHN ooNArrWitnesses: V t

CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLnY, THOMAS JOHN Rowil ment and radial uides in saidouter boxes in which the lnner laoxes are adapted to move

